Smart spaces & places

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How can we get the best out of the industry?

Apr 30, 2010

During recent months I have made a number of remarks, (for example, see Building Magazine, 12 March), about the difficulty of getting the best out of the construction and property industry. I was heartened to see that other people agree with me and that there are some who take issue – so let the debate commence!

As a starter for ten let me refer to a January 2010 article in CoreNet Global’s The Leader. In a compelling commentary, Rex Miller recounts an exercise undertaken in the USA designed to get participants in our market to challenge current thinking.

For me the following quotations resonate:

“….if everybody working on buildings has essentially the same commitment to excellence why does this process so often go horribly wrong?”

“Creating great spaces is rarely easy – it’s characteristically painful.” – There’s got to be a better way (Dick Haworth).

“The industry is broken and needs transformation.”

If this type of debate is underway on the other side of the pond shouldn’t we in the UK be joining in?